


The Heavens' Tears

by DraconicEngineer



Series: Bonded by Fate [6]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Azurrin Week 2016, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Family, Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation, Friendship, Post-Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-07
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-07-29 21:23:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7700158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DraconicEngineer/pseuds/DraconicEngineer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One year has passed after the war. Corrin dedicates the day to respect the Vallite people, but has his own personal respects to pay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Heavens' Tears

**Author's Note:**

> Day 6 of 7 and it’s time to bring on the feels. Stuff’s about to get sad. Gods, I loved writing this. Again, thank you for your support on all my work. As always, each and every review is appreciated be it praise or constructive criticism. Be sure to check out the official tumblr site at azurrinweek.tumblr.com for more cool stuff like this.

**_Day 6: Rain_ **

**_The Heavens’ Tears_ **

It was hard to believe that exactly a year had passed since the war. It was even harder to believe that in that year, Corrin had rebuilt Valla from its ashes and secured peace between his country, Hoshido and Nohr. In the beginning, he had predicted such a large scale change to come slowly, and was still very surprised at the progress that the country had made under his leadership. It wasn’t always easy, but his perseverance, determination, and support from his wife had carried him through his darkest hours and would serve as the light in the ones to come.

But today wasn’t a celebration of progress and prosperity. Corrin had dedicated the day to the remembrance of those who had resisted Anankos’ tyranny and sacrificed to keep the country and its people safe. He also used today to acknowledge the efforts of the Vallites who assisted his army’s efforts to end the dragon’s reign of terror. A ceremonial vigil held at the outside of the castle had drawn hundreds of thousands of Vallites together in a show of solidarity and was a well-received gesture. The people appreciated that Corrin had stayed true to the country’s roots, even when most of his life had been spent outside of it. 

Now, in the darkness of the late night, he had his own, personal respects to pay. The public ceremonies and addresses had finished not too long ago, but the half-dragon had withheld most of his personal comments from them. Azura had decided to retire early and her husband had agreed to carry her to bed. A few minutes later, she had fallen asleep, leaving Corrin free to make his secret journey to the castle’s back garden. Omega Yato in hand, he quietly stepped onto the balcony by his bedroom and looked back to confirm Azura was still asleep. Once he was sure of that, Corrin concentrated on a partial transformation without making any noise. Soon, his head was replaced by its draconic counterpart and silver wings sprouted from his back. Though the only light came from the lanterns far away, his wings shimmered in the darkness.

Without hesitation, the Vallite King jumped off the balcony and entered a glide, using the light breeze to carry him through the air. After making a sharp 180 degree turn, he was on course to the castle’s back garden. The flight was relatively short and Corrin ended his transformation as soon as he touched down in the garden’s center. Surrounded by flowers of all species and colors, he walked the stone pathway to the very back wall and closed his eyes. Letting the energy of the environment flow through him, Corrin searched for the Dragon Vein that lay here.

The truth of the matter was that this wall wasn’t just a normal wall. It served as a secret entrance to the site of two special graves of sisters who were once Vallite royalty. By using the Dragon Vein, one could lower part of the wall to reveal the entrance into the roofless chamber that lay behind. Only he and Azura knew this fact and could enter the gravesite. They always did so in secret to ensure that nobody could infringe on the emotional moments that usually came with every visit.

Once Corrin had found the Dragon Vein, he focused on the energy surge that indicated its presence. To unlock its power, he needed to utter a specific phrase in either ancient Hoshidan or ancient Nohrian. This time around, he chose to go with the Hoshidan variation.

“Ryujin no ken wo kurae!” he exclaimed, holding the Omega Yato high. The sword responded to his call and a fiery orange Dragon sprung from the handle and snaked around the blade. A ball of energy formed in Corrin’s free hand and grew by the second. Once it had reached the size of a cantaloupe, it flew into the sky and hovered for a moment, before plummeting back to the ground and crashing into the wall. The stone wall immediately lowered, revealing the small room and the two elegant gravestones that lay within.

Without a moment to lose, Corrin traversed the terrain over the empty space, walking until he stood in front of the gravestones. As soon as he was behind the submerged wall, it rose to its former position and stood solid once more. To the outside observer, it looked like absolutely nothing had just happened. The half dragon made his way to the left and brushed the dust off of the headstone. The owner? Mikoto Mizuno, former Princess of Valla and former Queen of Hoshido. Corrin stared at it for a while longer. The sight was no different than the countless time he had visited it before, but it was still jarring and reminded him of all the trauma and the guilt he felt in the brief moments they had shared together. It reminded him of how she had guarded his life with her own and brought back all those moments where he felt he should have done more for her. 

“ _Now’s not the time for self-depreciation Corrin. I came here to talk, not relive bad memories_.”

One deep breath later, he had recomposed himself and kneeled in front his mother’s grave.

“Mother…It’s been a bit since I last talked to you. Can you believe that it’s been a year now? It’s been a full year since Anankos fell and your country was freed and rebuilt. Your dream has been accomplished and Valla lives on.”

Silence set in as Corrin reached for what he would say next. After a long pause he spoke again.

“I hope you’re proud of me. Every day, I’ve guided the kingdom forward on the cornerstone of unending persistence and kindness. Though I didn’t get to know you long, I know for a fact that you embodied those values. From your devotion to the Hoshidan royal family despite not being an outsider and your unending faith that I would come home one day, I know that you would never give up. I’ve promised you that I would share this value and I shall continue this promise until the end of my days. Your kindness towards me when I was brought back to Hoshido is the kindness I strive to show to all. You embraced a stranger who doubted your claims and gave him the respect and space he needed to get his head together while showing him unconditional love no matter what. That’s…” Corrin bit his lip, “amazing. I……I’ve said this before, but I must have hurt you so much and I am eternally sorry for causing you that pain.”

The king shook his head and restrained his emotions to continue speaking.

“You gave your life so I could live mine to the fullest. Even though you had been absent for most of my life, you trusted me enough to carry on your legacy. You’ve probably heard that a person’s life is measured by their impact after their death and I will make sure that your impact is not forgotten. As your son, it is my duty. You will live on through me, Mother.”

Corrin fell silent once more and moved over to the headstone on the right. Just as he had done with his mother’s, he brushed off the dust of the second gravestone and read the name. Arete Mizuno, sister of Mikoto, former Queen of Valla and former Queen of Nohr.

As he stood there, he noticed the wind pick up and a slight drop in temperature. His cape fluttered in the breeze behind him as he addressed Arete. Normally, the only way a breeze could enter the room was if the entry wall was lowered, but Corrin didn’t care to check. He figured that Azura would still be asleep, and even if she was awake, there was no way should would know he was here. He knelt in front of Arete’s grave and spoke to her as he did with his mother.

“Arete, I may have never met you personally, but I respect you greatly all the same. You’ve raised a wonderful, beautiful daughter who I love with all of my heart. I am so proud to call her my wife and I never would have made it this far without her. She is the light in my times of darkness and the force that keeps me moving forward when my energy is depleted. From her, I’ve heard that you were a dedicated mother and a proud Queen. I’ve heard that you put your country and family before yourself and as a man in the position you once held, I promise to uphold this virtue of yours. I’ll make you proud and I won’t let your country falter under my guidance.”

Corrin felt satisfied with his speech and rose to his feet. After a quick bow in front of Arete’s resting place, he moved back to his mother’s grave and sat down in front of it.

“Mother, I forgot to mention this earlier, but I remembered something else from when I was young a few days ago. If you were here, you’d be so excited,” he started, wiping a tear from his eye before continuing, “I remember when you told me of the legend about rain. I remember that you told my young inquisitive mind that when it rained, the souls of the departed in the heavens above were crying for someone, either in happiness or sadness. You said the water droplets were their tears, their only way to connect to our world from theirs. I’ve spend today honoring every Vallite, but I needed to make this visit to honor the bravest of them all who had sacrificed the most. I’ve held back my tears long enough. Please, if you can hear me......”

Corrin felt a hand touch his shoulder and angled his head downward. Azura must have entered when he felt that brief breeze and therefore had heard his every word. 

“Azura…you shouldn’t have come here. There’s no need for you to see me like this.”

The songstress responded in a subdued manner, “I awoke to ask you a question, but I found you were absent. I figured you would come here, especially given the nature of today. And regardless of how you look or feel, I’ll love you and support you all the same. If I had said something as powerful and emotional as that, I would be on the verge of breaking down as well.”

“You miss your mother as much as I miss mine don’t you?”

She simply nodded in affirmation and stared at her mother’s grave. “She gave everything for me. I always have wished she had more time in this world.”

“I know that feeling all too well. I’ll remember that moment in the plaza forever.”

“Corrin…” she softly said, concerned.

“Azura, I need your shoulder” he stated, pulling her into a hug and dipping his head onto her right shoulder. Not three seconds later she could feel her nightgown dampening and reacted by rubbing her husband’s back and holding him reassuringly. What she didn’t expect was droplets of water falling on her head. 

Evidently, Corrin felt them too. He looked to the sky, eyes reddened from letting out his tears and his face wore the saddest of smiles. Azura’s eyes followed his and looked up at the rainfall that was just beginning.

“They’re here Azura…our mothers are here with us…these are their tears…this is their way of telling us they’re proud.”

Azura remained silent and continued to stare upward, processing the emotions of the moment and Corrin’s words. Eventually, she copied the half dragon and buried her head in his shoulders. As the rain fell softly around them, they wept together.


End file.
